Adrenal Cholesterol Ester Fatty Acid Composition of Different Species.

Abstract
The fatty acid composition of adrenal cholesterol ester fraction has been determined by gas-liquid chromatography in 7 species. Characteristic cholesterol ester fatty acid (CEFA) patterns for each type of animal were apparent. Rat and dog had the highest content of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the adrenal cholesterol ester fraction. The remaining species had considerably less of those acids and the major CEFA of dog, man, goose, chicken and rabbit was oleic acid. In the rat and human, an acid tentatively identified as a C22 tetraenoic acid was found in the adrenal CEFA. The significance of these results in relation to hormone synthesis and polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolism is discussed.